He was still working part time in 2005, when a friend mentioned there were jobs going in Asda, which was close to his home in Taff's Well.

He applied and in his interview was asked to speak to the person next to him about their life.

"I wrote a full sheet of paper on the chap who was next to me," he said.

Impressed with his listening skills, management offered Mr Leigh the job, starting in customer service and then moving to the checkouts.

Mr Leigh's wife of 50 years, Pamela, died five years ago and he said his job "gave him a reason to get up in the morning" and "got him out of the house".

He said he was "not one to sit at home" and his favourite part of the job was meeting new people.

"I've got to know the customers, I love talking to them and giving them sweets.

"It's a special environment to work in, we're like a big family and they (Asda) bend over backwards for me."

He added his job at the supermarket kept him "busy and active," and giving advice to other workers he said: "If you like your job, do it. But if you don't like your job, you have to change it and find something you like".

Mr Leigh said he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

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Mr Buttress said he has loved every job he has had

The 93-year-old

Reg Buttress began working for Sainsbury's in his hometown of Cwmbran, Torfaen, in 1981 after being made redundant aged 59.

He retired at 65, but was asked to return part-time just a few weeks later.

"I felt lost without a job," he said, and "I had to go back."

"It's a marvellous shop and I love meeting all the different people."

The great grandfather has held a number of jobs at the supermarket, from collecting trolleys and stacking shelves, to individually pricing items and greeting customers.

He started his working life at 13 at Hafodyrynys colliery, and when he got laid off he went to an unemployment office which told him there were no local jobs.

He then took a factory job in Birmingham, earning 14 shillings a week.

Mr Buttress recalls his father buying him a bike he used to cycle from his home in Pontypool to Birmingham.

"It took me two days and I stopped to sleep in a hedge," he said.

He returned to south Wales during the war when his accommodation was bombed.

He found work as a steam engine driver on the railways in Pontypool before the Beeching cuts, and later took a job at a Nylon factory before joining Sainsbury's.

Image copyrightSainsbury'sImage caption
Mr Buttress's colleagues said he was as an "inspiration to them all"

Mr Buttress was married for 65 years, before his wife Gwendoline died two years ago.

He said he was planning a second attempt at retirement in September when he turns 94.

"I'm getting a bit slower," he said, and he is looking forward to spending more time in his garden and greenhouse.